Is this the face of the Zodiac killer, the serial murderer behind one of America’s most notorious unsolved crime sprees?

A mugshot of the man said to be the Zodiac Killer by his son bears a remarkable resemblance to the police sketch of the murderer who slayed at least five people in the late 1960s.

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The face to fear: In searching for the father who abandoned hum, author Gary Stewart discovered that Earl Van Best was not only his father, but also, he claims, the Zodiac Killer This mug shot taken whenr Van Best was arrested for the rape of a minor, Stewart's mother

Uncanny: The police sketch of the Zodiac Killer bears a remarkable resemblace to Stewart's father's mugshot

Gary Stewart, who was adopted at birth, claims his search for his real father, Earl Van Best Jr, led to the discovery that the antique bookseller was the serial killer who terrorized San Francisco in the 1960s.

His years of painstaking research are now revealed in the blockbuster book published today, The Most Dangerous Animal of All.

The Zodiac killer killed at least five people and injured two more between 1968 and 1969 in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Stewart claims to have 'legally sound'
and 'forensic evidence' that proves that Van Best is the man responsible
for one of America's biggest unsolved crimes.

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In a remarkable coincidence his mother Judy married Rotea Gilford one of the lead investigators in the case.

He is now dead but Stewart is convinced that this would upset the department and that it may have caused them to try to 'shut down' the investigation into the case.

'The fact remains: Judy married Van, the Zodiac. Judy married Rotea, the homicide detective,' he concludes.

He claims that he is still awaiting the results of DNA tests to see whether his matches fragments taken from the crime scene of the Zodiac’s killings.

'It will be interesting to see what happens,' he writes.

Ice cream romance: A KPIX news report from August 31, 1962, featuries views of Earl Van Best standing before a judge in San Francisco, for sentencing. Van Best was being tried for the offence of eloping to Reno with 13 year old Judy Chandler. Because the couple had originally met in San Francisco in front of Herbert¿s Sherbet Shoppe, the media referred to this as 'The Ice Cream Romance'

Stewart, who was brought up in Louisiana after being abandoned by his real father, said that he discovered the truth while looking for his biological father’s identity.

According to the book, Stewart looked for Van Best after his birth mother contacted him, 39 years after she gave him up for adoption.

Stewart claims that 'forensic evidence' helped show his father was responsible for the Zodiac crimes.

The book's publisher, Harper Collins, told New York Magazine that the claims in the volume were found to be 'legally sound' by its lawyers.

The publisher did not contact the San Francisco Police Department for review because they 'knew more than they're willing to admit.'

Sentenced: Earl Van Best served a year in prison for marrying his child bride, who decided to try to find her son Gary Stewart 39 years later

Best had a criminal record for rape and fraud, and his mug shot, found by the author, clearly resembles the Zodiac Killer's police sketch, down to the eyeglasses.

'If you look at Gary’s photo next to the sketch of the Zodiac next to his father’s mug shot, you can see that there is very clearly more than just a passing resemblance,' a spokeswoman for HarperCollins told New York. 'They look alike.'

Stewart 'didn’t want to believe it,' she added.

'I don’t think most people want to know that their father is a notorious serial killer.'

Son of a killer? Gary Stewart, pictured, claims in a new book that his biological father was the Zodiac killer

According to the book, Van Best was brought up by a Methodist minister and his wayward wife, who he would eventually divorce on grounds of adultery.

Van Best was 27 and already divorced once when he met Stewart’s mother Judy Gilford at an ice cream parlor in San Francisco. He fell in love with her even though she was only 13 and they eloped to Reno to get married.

Judy had her son in Louisiana and Van Best soon abandoned her and his child. She eventually gave Stewart up for adoption.

Stewart, according to the book's description, looked for his father after his birth mother contacted him for the first time ever. It claims that 'forensic evidence' helped show his father was responsible for the Zodiac crimes.

Never found: Law enforcement officers from two Bay Area counties and San Francisco met in San Francisco are seen in this Oct. 20, 1969 file photo comparing notes regarding the search for the Zodiac killer

Victims: From left are San Francisco cab driver Paul Stine, who was shot to death, Cecilia Shepard, 22, a student who was stabbed to death, and Bryan Hartnell, 20, who was stabbed but survived

The Zodiac killer killed at least five people and injured two more between 1968 and 1969 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The killer sent cryptograms to media outlets, some of which remain unsolved.

'If you look at Gary’s photo next to the sketch of the Zodiac next to his father’s mug shot, you can see that there is very clearly more than just a passing resemblance,' she told the magazine. 'They look alike.'

'He didn’t want to believe,' she added. 'I don’t think most people want to know that their father is a notorious serial killer.'

A San Francisco Police Department spokesman said that they would take any new leads seriously but they had yet to hear from Mr Stewart.

But he refused to comment on speculation that the department had deliberately shut down any investigation.

'There would be no one happier than the San Francisco Police Department to have closure on this case,' said spokesman Albie Esparza.

'It has been open for more than 40 years. We urge the anyone with any new information to contact the police.'

The Most Dangerous Animal of All, by Gary L Stewart and Susan Mustafa, published by Harper Collins is out now. to order a copy, click here

On the big screen: Robert Downey, Jr., left, and Jake Gyllenhaal, right, are seen here in the 2007 movie Zodiac, which examined the hunt for the killer